When I was 21 I got with a 33 year old... that was fun while it lasted... but I think we both knew it was a very short term thing right from the start...

Surely "Single Mum..."
*Rest of post deleted on the advice of forum solicitor*

haha! brilliant.

Ever tried for the diplomatic service?

Not really -  are they recruiting in the current climate ?

If it was 29 yo man and 18 yo woman then would it make a difference?  Or even a 29 yo man and an 18 yo man?

I think some people would be posting about exploitation and possibly the 18 yo not understanding his own sexuality.

There's a big age gap between me and my husband, but we've been together nearly 18 years and we can still tolerate each other.

p.s. I'm the older one.

i've been trying to look at it from all angles, including switching the ages round. i think either situation would require serious thought and it would be right to question the motivations of the older person and the vulnerability of the younger person. i think that as long as both parties respect each other and their family and friends, keeping everyone in the loop, then theres not really anything to worry about. its when one party tries to control the others life (usually the older one) when its not good but the same is true of any relationship, no matter what the age gap is.

It is not the gender or the size of the age gap that is the concern.
An age gap may be 10, 15, 20 years - and the relationship may work, or it may not.
It mainly works, or fails, because of the people involved. It is the individuals (not their ages which is the kay (although age can highlight some differences.)
I would say honesty, trust, emotional maturity all play a part.
I don`t think the issue is the age - it's the people.

My husband was 17 n i was 21 when we got married n i had a little girlaged 1 yr.That was 37 ys ago n we love each other very much n had 2 other childen n r very happy

awww thats so sweet! one thing that does bother me is that he wants kids and i dont want any more of my own. he says that he's happy as long as he has me and in the long term, if it came to it, he'd treat my daughter as his own but that could prove to be a little naive and his feelings could change. long way down the road though and not worth stressing about just yet. did you ever encounter any problems, either because of his young age at the start of the relationship or from other people sticking their beaks in? if you dont mind me asking that is.

You're 59??? I thought you were about 19 cos of the text speak

If you go into a relationship stressing and fretting and assuming it will fail then you should not be in the relationship. New relationships should be giddy and happy and exciting and romantic....not angst ridden bollocks and heavy dilemmas. Talk about the kiss of death. And its not fair on the other person, they deserve better.

They should dump the drama filled misery person and find someone who appreciates them for who they are not how old they are.

On the positive side, the recovery rate of an 18yo bloke is pretty impressive. 

Oh indeed. Nothing a bit of CPR and good porn cant fix